Happy Birthday U.S.A.

I am proud to be an American.  I don't understand those folks who are constantly complaining about America. 

When I was a  kid in school, I was taught the Pledge of Allegiance, the 23rd Psalm and the Lords Prayer.  All three of these were said, loudly and proudly, in the classroom each and every day.  At sporting events, everyone would stand, the men would remove their hats and everyone would recite the pledge.

It makes me madder than a wet hen to see people refuse to even stand when others are reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.  I understand their right to not have to say the words, but what gives them the right to disrespect our flag?


I grew up watching Red Skelton and loved his humor.  However, when I heard his explaination of the Pledge of Allegiance I was amazed.  Here I had been saying these words for years, but had never thought of the meaning of the words.  Yes, I knew of the many sacrifices men and women had made for us to be able to say the words...but what do the words mean?

Read these words and next time you recite the Pledge of Allegiance, I promise you, you will say them with a renewed sense of awareness.


I--Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge--Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance--My love and my devotion.

To The Flag--Our standard; Old Glory; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody's job.

Of the United--That means that we have all come together.

States of America--Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states.  Forty-eight individual communitites with pride and dignity and purpose.  All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.

And to the Republic for Which it Stands--Republic, a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern.  And government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

One Nation--One Nation --meaning, so blessed by God.

Indivisible--Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty--Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one's own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.

And Justice--The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.

For All--For All, which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.




After you read the words, listen to Red Skelton.



Be proud of being an American.

Happy Birthday U.S. A.

Wine And Palette

I have discovered the best activity in the whole wide world. Painting, with a friend, while drinking wine. The name of the company is "Wine and Palette" I have been "painting" for several months now. I have had so much fun at these events, that I wanted to share with you. Be prepared to be amazed and/or horrified!

We began painting on November 5, 2011.  The title of this is "Sugar Skull".  We were at Boleros downtown.  My excuse for the way this painting turned out is simple.  I had just had my eye surgery and couldn't see well.  (That is my story and I am sticking to it!).  Everyone needs a skull with earrings...right? This is hanging in the garage.  Every time I pull in, it makes me laugh.

Next came "Tree of Dreams" on December 8, 2011.

We went to Kamps, midtown.  This one turned out not bad.  Again, I need to stress that I  do not attend these because of my artistic talent.  They are so much fun.

Cherry Blossom Bliss was done on January 11, 2012.  What a way to bring in the new year.

This was done at a restaurant on the Curve.  They have awesome Apple drinks.  Beware, you can not tell there is any alcohol in them at all!  Maybe, that is why my blossoms look so weird.

Peacock Feathers was done on February 6, 2012 at Mama Roja's.  This painting may actually be framed and hung inside the house.  I love peacocks anyway and this reminds me of picking up the feathers when I was growing up.  We had a pet peacock, named Petey.  I was so original with naming him.

The next one is titled "The Giving Tree" and was done on February 16, 2012.  I have renamed mine.  It is now titled "The Claw coming out of the ground for you".  Appropriate, don't you think?

"Waves of Color" was done on February 25, 2012.  I am still trying to figure out how to put a sail boat on this.  We were at Bolero's again.  Love that place.

"Where the Red Tree Grows" was done on March 6, 2012.  We were at Tony's Island Grill in Mustang.  It was an adventure getting there, but well worth it.  Food was great and, as always, the evening was awesome.

"Flowers in the Rain" was done on March 12, 2012.  Know how you do something that is so horribly bad that you are both embarrassed and tickled?  This is it.  This is so bad it won't even be hung in garage.  It will probably be decorating big blue trash can very soon.

The best part of this who piece is my signature, which is barely visible on the picture.

It is almost time to schedule my painting for the month of April.  I can't wait!! 

Come on guys, sign up and have a good time with friends.  Who cares if you can't draw a straight line?  It is about having fun!

CAN YOU TEACH AN OLD BODY NEW TRICKS?

Well, I am sneaking up on 60. By sneak, I mean that it has snuck up on me. I know all that bs about age being a number, but when the number is 60 that little saying goes out the window. I am not sure if 60 is even considered old anymore, but just the sound of 60 sounds old to me.


While I am not sure what a 60 year old should really look like, I do have this mental image of my grandmother. She always dressed old, looked old and acted old. I have no clue when she began looking old, she just always was old.

I don’t want to look or act old. I certainly don’t feel like I am old. So why not try to prevent the “oldness” from taking over?

According to the handy, dandy internet, there are several steps that you need to take to ward off feeling old.

• Keep age in perspective. Yeah right. I know that 60 is a number, but I would rather have the number 21 in my life right now. Maybe I should start saying “I am 21 x 3 – 3”. My doctor would think I am nuts.

• Live and enjoy each day. I try my darndest to do this. I do fun stuff all the time. Painting bad and semi-bad painting, outings with friends, traveling, keeping Bob out of trouble.

• Don’t think of yourself as old. This is an interesting one to me. I don’t feel like I am old. I just don’t want to begin feeling that way. I want my grandkids to look at me and say “she is how old?”

• Take care of yourself. I am back on track to lose the weight to get back to my Weight Watchers lifetime goal weight. I take vitamins and go to the doctor on a regular basis. I get my hair and nails done. I take showers all the time (wait, they may not mean that).

• Stay hydrated. I was hoping this meant wine, but it means water. Yup, I drink at least 2 33 ounce bottle of water a day. I do add the flavor stuff. Plain water is yucky.

• Keep your mind alert. Easy peasy. Have you heard of Words with Friends? I am totally addicted. I love playing any and all mind building games. I even play the solitaire word games and Sudoku.

• Keep up with Current Events. I am a total news junkie. Love to read the real newspapers in the morning and go on the internet to read the news several times a day. I read magazines and love the entertainment gossip.

• Physical exercise. Wait….What? Um…OK? Me? Yes me. I have hired a personal trainer. His name is Eric. He understands that I am not trying to enter into a marathon or a body building contest. I simply want to get in better shape. We have agreed to a 12 week course of action. At the end of the 12 weeks we will evaluate to see what direction we think I should take.

I will be blogging about my experiences with Eric and my overall quest to grow older without actually feeling or looking older.